Black Immigrant Daily News

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LONDON (AP) — Conor Gallagher marked his return to Selhurst Park with a last-minute winner in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on Saturday.

The midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Palace, came off the bench and curled home a shot from the edge of the area in the 90th minute to hand Graham Potter victory in his first league match in charge of Chelsea.

Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring for Palace after seven minutes and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalized with a neat finish late in the first half.

Chelsea entered the contest having won all of their last 10 meetings between the clubs, while Palace were playing their first match in nearly a month after fixtures against Manchester United and Brighton were postponed following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

Patrick Vieira made three changes from the starting XI that drew with Newcastle in early September and one of those decisions quickly paid off.

Edouard, who replaced Jean-Philippe Mateta as Vieira’s central striker, met Jordan Ayew’s seventh-minute cross and lifted the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga and into the top right corner.

Chelsea had a good chance to level at the 20-minute mark when Mason Mount headed inches wide of the right post.

It was the start of a sustained period of pressure from the visitors, who once again missed by inches after Raheem Sterling pounced on his own rebound but watched his second effort ping off a post.

And at the other end, Eberechi Eze could not find the finishing touch on an attempt to double Palace’s advantage, firing the ball just wide.

Palace were furious when Jordan Ayew looked through on goal only to be stopped by a handball by an outstretched Thiago Silva on the ground, but the defender was given only a yellow card.

Silva’s presence on the pitch proved vital moments later when Reece James found him at the edge of the area and he nodded the pass in the direction of Aubameyang, who spun and fired past a diving Vicente Guaita.

And it was more bad news for the hosts when Nathaniel Clyne and Silva both rose to meet the ball to the left of Palace’s goal and the former landed awkwardly. He stayed down until he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher and replaced by James Tomkins, himself only recently returned from injury and available to Vieira for the first time this season.

Gallagher was warmly received when he stepped on the field at Selhurst Park in the 76th minute for the first time since his loan spell, but any friendly sentiment was quickly forgotten when he curled in the winner.

Newcastle won 4-1 at 10-man Fulham, Everton rallied to beat Southampton 2-1 away, while Bournemouth and Brentford drew 0-0.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Members of the TT Defence Force and Coast Guard stand at attention at the flag raising re-enactment ceremony during the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations held at Woodford Square, Port of Spain, on August 30 2012. – File Photo

THE Defence Force (TTDF) has accepted government’s four per cent wage increase offer amid rumours of anger and discontent among the ranks over this decision made by the top brass.

The acceptance of the offer came on Friday, according to a release from Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Darryl Dindial.

This Defence Force is the second branch within the public service to sign off on the offer after the Amalgamated Workers Union, which represents daily-paid workers in the Port of Spain Corporation, did so several weeks ago.

However, sources within the force say while the CPO lauded the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and others for “balancing expectations,” soldiers on the ground are angry over the agreement. Some even took to social media to vent their dissatisfaction with the CDS.

The CPO’s release confirmed that the Defence Force signed off on the offer which covers the collective bargaining periods, 2014-2016, and 2017-2019.

Along with the pay rise, the TTDF also got new allowances for instructors conducting basic recruit training; radar operating and technicians; dog handling; increments for permanent reservists; allowances for front-line operators engaged in inter-agency task force operations and maritime duties; and incentive allowances for pilots and aviation engineers.

“Additionally, subject to the approval of the Cabinet, the Force received consideration for a special missions allowance for regional operations and compensation for a part-time Strategic Think Tank.”

“The latter is intended to support the development and modernisation of the TTDF to improve on the delivery of its mandate, treat with new and emerging threats, the development of doctrine, its military justice system, wellness system and revised recruitment, performance management and training standards,” the release said.

UNPRECEDENTED

Newsday was told this was the first time since the 1970 Black Power Revolution that soldiers had signed off on wage negotiations before the police.

Police Social Welfare Association (PSWA) president Inspector Gideon Dickson said it is common practise for police officers to negotiate wages, then soldiers who do not have a bargaining body and cannot take industrial action, depend on the results of those negotiations to set a precedent, where they would then be paid at a higher rate.

“I am not aware that something like this has ever happened before,” Dickson said.

“I know there is a principle by which they would get the same wages negotiated by the police and a third.”

Dickson said the police are still engaged in negotiations with the CPO. The PSWA has responded to the CPO’s offer with a counter offer and are awaiting a response, Dickson said.

“We have not approached negotiations from the perspective of emotions and conventional methods to try to achieve the best for the membership. We approached it from a scientific perspective. We did our research. All our engagement was from a scientific point of view.”

He added that the PSWA has taken several factors into consideration with its counter-offer including the rate of death of police officers and rising crime.

TTDF’S SHAM

NEGOTIATIONS

Meanwhile, the Fire Service Association (FSA) labelled the completed negotiations between the TTDF and the CPO as a sham, while speaking to reporters on Friday.

FSA head Leo Ramkissoon said because the TTDF does not have a bargaining unit, they were taken advantage of and forced into accepting the offer.

“I am quite certain that like the remainder of the wider trade union movement and workers across TT, soldiers and other members of the Defence Force would, on a personal level, reject the offer of four per cent over six years,” Ramkissoon said.

“I believe this is another demonstration of a strong-arm tactic of the State to impose on workers an adjustment to salary which amounts to a wage cut – one which, if the soldiers had the choice – they would have rejected.”

“But because the soldiers have no bargaining unit and are susceptible to the impositions to the CPO and the State, they would have had little choice.

“This announcement of an agreement as if they were involved in a genuine salary negotiation and they hammered out some things to be fair, it is nothing less than a sham.”

Ramkissoon said the acceptance by the TTDF could not be established as a precedent for other arms of the protective services, as it is only the court that can determine what should be a precedent and what should not.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A 10-year-old schoolgirl succumbed to head injuries on Friday night after she was struck down by a drunk driver, who was speeding in Lethem earlier in the day.

Dead is Ruth Glasgow, a student of Arapaima Primary School.

The accident occurred at about 16:40h on Third Street Lethem, Central Rupununi, Lethem.

Reports are that Glasgow, who took part in the school sports that was held at the Tabatinga Sports Complex Ground, exited the compound with her mother and was standing on the western parapet of the road, leaning on her bicycle and eating her food, when she was struck down by motor car #PLL 2547.

Police say the vehicle was proceeding north along the centre of Third Street, Lethem, at a fast rate of speed while negotiating a left turn, the driver lost control and collided with the schoolgirl and her cycle.

The child and her cycle were flung some distance further north on the said road, causing her to sustain injuries to her head and body.

The schoolgirl was picked up in an unconscious condition by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital, where she was treated and immediately referred to Boa Vista, Brazil via Ambulance, to seek further medical attention.

At 22:40h Friday night, the 10-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries while undergoing emergency medical treatment in Boa Vista.

Meanwhile, at the scene following the accident, police ranks conducted two breathalyzer tests on the driver and the readings came back, .90 BAC and .85 BAC, respectively.

A Notice of Intended Prosecution was served on the driver, 23-year-old Navindra Narine of Tabatinga, Lethem.

Police say he was initially charged on Friday for Dangerous Driving and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. However, this was before the 10-year-old girl died.

New charges are expected to be laid against the driver.

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